Whirlpool of Fantasy
by Exalted Demi-Soul
Summary: At the end of his battle, he was called a hero. His closest ally gives him a chance to live in a peaceful time or rise as the needed champion. When the world is facing a threat unlike any it has faced before, the lost hero shall emerge to protect it once more. Aerith/Naruto.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Final Fantasy. They belong to their respective creators and companies.**

**Legend:**

"Why me?" - Normal humans or Red XIII talking

_"Why then?" - _Whispers, spiritual voices, and electronic voices.

_'Why us?' - _thoughts

**"Why you?" - **Giant creatures

**_"Why now?"_** - Skills or Techniques

* * *

**Prologue **

_When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end,_

_The goddess descends from the sky._

Blue eyes stare into vast ocean of emerald like energy flowing around as his body as he merely floats, unmoving. The abyss before him neither gives him comfort nor does it reject him. His blond hair waving and fluttering as if submerged but his lungs are not affected. He's accepted but not withheld. It's strange. This energy was seemed to be alive. It was warm but not alive. It was living but it was void. It was full but not warm. He couldn't describe it. Every time he thought he could, it would change. There was one thing he could say.

It was familiar.

_Wings of light and dark spread afar_

_She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting._

He could feel it. Kurama had sealed him here for his safety. It was to give him a chance at living when the world was truly at peace, but there was another reason. Should the world be in danger, he would be able to return to protect it and obtain his happiness. He smiled. Despite not being able to see his friends again, he was proud of how things went. He managed to protect his loved ones for years and obtained his dream. He had never married or had a kid, but it would have only made him sadder when he was taken into the planet.

Somehow, he was happy with this. He found peace several millennia ago. However, he still wondered whether his release would be one of reward or a cry for salvation.

_Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess_

_We seek it thus, and take to the sky_

Still, he could remember things that seemed to make him think the world would need his power. A few centuries after his sealing, there was a great disturbance in the flow of the energy around him, this lifestream. Nearly all the voices vanished after a foul energy collided with the planet, but many survived and rebuilt while the foul existence went dormant. The world went through many changes afterward. Once, there was a time when the world felt sophisticated but it fell after a dark presence, much weaker and less foul than the one he felt nearly a millennium before it, emerged and attacked. However, after many centuries passed, it fell while the original evil slept.

For centuries on centuries, someone or some group began to harness the power of the power of the lifestream for the being living on the land. It started as a small good natured thing, but it began to increase in volume and waste. The planet began to alter itself to survive and adapt to the changes on its body. It began to produce materia, the many powers of nature and its children given crystalized forms.

It wasn't until this pull became too great that the lifestream began to truly wake him beyond mere awareness. He was amazed when he first awakened, but it grew old and boring after a while. The irony was that he, being a former hyperactive shinobi, was being restrained to a never ending view of green water-like substance invading his visual senses.

Until something happened.

_Ripples form on the water's surface_

_The wandering soul knows no rest._

He had not expected the spirit of the planet, Minerva, to pull another being in to her domain. It was a red haired man. He was ethereal to say the least. A spirit released from the stress and burden of his life time, if the blond was reading him accurately. That could mean his body was somewhere on the planet but he wouldn't be able to tell.

"_Who are you?_" the blond asked as he stared as the spirit before him.

"I am Genesis. Genesis Rhapsodos," the spirit said, "And you?"

"_It matters not,_" he said.

_My friend, your desire_

_Is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess._

They remained there for a while and Genesis would ask him of what the blond would often listen to when his eyes glazed over. The blond would tell him he was listening to the voice of a young woman. Her words and prayers would often reach his ears, but now he could feel a pull on his body. He knew the world wasn't at peace so it meant one thing.

There was great danger coming.

The blond spared a glance two his only company in the sea of green, "_It seems I must leave. My time of calling has come._"

"It has been enjoyable, my friend. I only wish I could, in some small way, revisit it before my spirit completely vanishes," Genesis spoke the truth. Through his time in the lifestream, his spirit had begun to break down and become absorbed into the energy.

The blond thought on it for a moment, before decided to speak. "_There is a way but you'd die. You'd merely become information…a collection of memories._" The idea seemed to catch the red head's attention, "_I'd be able to absorb what's left of you into my very being and build onto the memories of your lifetime and my own. I know nothing of the world now, but you do. It would be your legacy in a sense._"

"I accept," the red head said. After seeing the baffled expression on his friend's face, Genesis elaborated, "I'd rather have someone in my place in the world to do what I could not, than not have a place in it at all. My body may be alive but the _Genesis_ in it would not be the Genesis before you. So, I accept."

_Legend shall speak of sacrifice at world's end._

_The wind sails over the water surface_

_Quietly, but surely…_

The blond smiled and began to absorb his friend's remaining spirit slowly after placing a hand on one of Genesis's shoulders, "_My name is Naruto, my friend. Naruto Uzumaki._" Genesis stared for a moment in confusion, "_You told me your name oh so many years ago, so it's only fair that you hear mine._" They both closed their eyes as a bright light flashed before them.

_To become the dew that quenches the land_

_To spare the sands, the seas, the skies_

_I offer thee this silent sacrifice._

It was cool. It was damp. He was in the world once more. Slowly, he opened his eyes. No longer were they his cerulean blue, they were an electric blue. His blond hair held some defiance toward gravity but was mostly a fallen mop of silky gold. His attire was similar to that of his friend Genesis with a swap of golden orange rather than red. The process was complete. Genesis's memories were within his own but he was himself, and now he stood in the world once more. His internal energies were still going mad to adjust to both the shift in his body and his return to the world. So, before he fainted, he muttered one last thing.

"And now, I have returned."

_Even if the morrow is barren of promises,_

_Nothing shall forestall my return._

* * *

**_AN:_********_ED Soul here with the first chapter of my story. Although I'll accept all for constructive criticism, no flames please. As this is my first story, please R&R. The next chapter is on its way._**


	2. Chapter 1: Burn or Crash, TNGR!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Final Fantasy. They belong to their respective creators and companies.**

**I already know that there might be some questions concerning the length of time Genesis was in the Lifestream, but there were multiple chances for him to come in contact with it and/or pure Mako energy. I'll leave it to the reader to try to decide what time of Crisis Core (or before the game started) he came from. I'll drop hints from time to time, but nothing too obvious.**

**Also, I have to thank frytrix for the advice. I was quite concerned about that earlier on.**

**Legend:**

"Why me?" - Normal talking

_"Why then?" - _Whispers, spiritual voices, monsters, and electronic voices.

_'Why us?' - _thoughts

**_"Why you?"_**** - **Giant creatures

**"Why now?"** - Skills or Techniques

**Chapter 1: Burn or Crash, Things Never Go Right!**

The blond was slowly waking up. He could hear numerous beeps in the background. Where was he? He felt heavy. Heavy? How could he feel heavy?

Then, he remembered the last thing that happened to him. He was brought back from the lifestream to protect the planet once more. He opened his eyes slowly and lifted his head, trying to focus his blurry eyesight when he heard a gasp.

"Hey, are you okay?"

It was a woman's voice. It was a familiar voice of a woman he'd heard in his time within the lifestream. He slowly turned his eyes toward her to see her and, slowly, his vision focused and became sharp. The woman before him was beautiful. She wore a shin-length, pink dress, brown boots, and a red jacket. She had long hair that was tied into a braided ponytail and would probably touch the ground if undone. When he lifted his eyes to see her face, her emerald green eyes met his electric blues. Her beautiful face framed by her bangs. He gently smiled at her and nodded.

"That's good. You've been unconscious from the time I've been here with you," she said. The concern in her voice made him feel warm. How long had it been since someone had been concerned about him. "I was beginning to fear the worst."

"No issue there," he said. His voice was slightly deep but well adjusted, "My body just needed to rest." He eyes began to show warmth of familiarity, "It's been much too long."

The woman seemed to be lost as she read his expression, "Have we met before? You seem so familiar."

He chuckled a bit. He decided to follow through on obtaining a new life, "No. I'm positive we haven't met in person. Nice to meet you, but you should work on your pick-up lines a bit," He said with a mischievous grin at her blush before he returned to a small smile, "So, let's from the basics. My name is Maelstrom Rhapsodos, but you can call me Naruto. And your name? Or do I get another pick-up line?"

She seemed to try to explain herself until she heard him chuckle and she began to laugh with him, "That wasn't very funny."

"From your perspective, maybe, but your cute, flustered face is enjoyable from here," he said with a small grin as she blush slightly before smirking, "So, does the pretty face come with a name?"

"I'm Aerith Gainsborough. Nice to meet you, Mal," she said with a smiling as she held out her hand. As he reached out to shake her hand, Naruto realized he couldn't move his arms, "Sorry, I forgot your arms are bound."

He turned to look at his arms and saw she was right. He was shackled to the metal lining at the bottom of the glass wall, "Where are we?" He felt he should have asked that earlier. How could he have not noticed he was restrained? The former ninja felt annoyed at doing something so stupid.

"We are in Shinra Inc.'s lab," she said before looking down sadly. The blond sighed as he now understood where he was, thanks to both Genesis's memories and Aerith's information.

"So, Hojo has us? You'd expect him to stop screwing with people's lives," Naruto said with a mirthless chuckle, causing Aerith to look at him again. "Don't worry. If he tries anything, I'll protect you."

"I just noticed the shine in your eyes. Are you-?"

"No. I'm not nor have I ever been a part of SOLDIER. I'm sure I was caught due to circumstances around my arrival," he said. When she mentioned his eyes, he could hazard a guess at what she wanted to know, "This is mostly natural. After all, there are many times in one's life where they are given a chance to meet someone in tune with the lifestream." He gave a small bit of information concerning him, but not enough to let her know what he was. He was sure she would proceed a bit further but a condescending voice broke the atmosphere.

"My, oh my, look at who has awakened."

Naruto nearly growled at the voice. It was Hojo. He walked out of an elevator on the other side of the room near the glass prison.

"Hojo. So, to what do I owe this displeasure?" the young man asked with a near growl.

"So, you know me, do you? First, I'd like to ask something," the mad scientist to a pause and continued as though he were awaiting a response, "How did you come to be encased in a blanket of Mako energy?"

Naruto heard Aerith gasp. So, he looked at her and smiled before responding, "What can I say? The Planet finally got tired of Shinra's shit and flushed it out. Unfortunately, I was standing there in its way after helping an old lady carry her luggage to her village before I saw a black cat. So, to avoid a streak of bad luck, I had to take a longer route to her village but I got lost of the road of life. Now, I'm here, and I can hazard a guess that her luggage never made it."

Aerith seemed stunned for a moment before she began to giggle. Meanwhile, Hojo was at a loss of words. _'Thank you, Kakashi-sensei.' _Naruto thought with a mental smirk.

"I'd really believe that if I could find anything related to your existence prior to when you were found," Hojo began his rant. You could just about here him pacing around in a circle, "Not to mention the little fact that your DNA is different from a normal human. Your bones are much denser as well as your muscles. Your blood is purer, and your body seems to lack a majority of the natural flaws that are present in most humans today. If I had to guess, I'd say the planet gave birth to a humanoid creature."

There were different responses to his statement. Aerith looked at him as if she was trying to find something. Naruto fell silent. Hojo, however, began to laugh, "Then, you really were giving life by the planet. Intriguing."

"Oh, how wrong you are, egghead," the blond said while he shook his head, he never was one to lie. He couldn't even do it too well, "My mother gave me life, and the planet just preserved it after a friend protected me from a disaster that would have meant my end. Although, such an event happened once more at a time where most of what could be called the descendants of my kind were erased. I believe they were called the Cetra."

"Then, you're…" Aerith trailed off before her eyes widened in understanding and shock.

"An ancestor of the Ancients," Hojo said with glee in his voice, "Two rare specimens. This should prove to be most interesting."

As soon as he finished speaking, a glass door opened and a lion–like animal was dumped from a cage into the glass walled containment chamber that suddenly began to lift as the lion growled at Naruto and Aerith.

"Aerith, stay close to me!" He shouted as he began a stare down with the growling and snarling creature before him.

"Aerith!"

All three of them turned toward the source of the shout. Naruto detailed them quickly. There was a large, dark-skinned man with a Mohawk and a gun-hand, a long, brown haired woman who seemed to be a fighter, and a blonde haired guy in a SOLDIER uniform carrying a large sword.

Quickly, he looked back at a beast that arrive via a lift in the opened center of the floor panels, but noticed something as it growled at Aerith. There was no hostility in its growl, but how was that possible?

Was it trying to play Hojo?

Either way, if it was not truly attacking then he would be able to concentrate and break his shackles. Naruto closed his eyes as he heard the people in the room yelling and shouting. He needed to focus. He needed to block it all out. He didn't need to acknowledge the existence of anything around him. What he needed was buried deep within him and, if done right, it would connect him to his lost past life.

_'Come on. Where are you? Where is it?'_ He searched deeply within himself and finally managed to find his target. It was his chakra network. His already massive reserves boosted by the power Kurama, the nine tailed fox, gave to him before sealing him for safety, and enhanced by his confinement in the core of the planet. He slept for so long that his energies were hard to reach, but it was there. It was like twisting a faucet and the built up water pressure behind the constructive barrier caused it to rush out after pushing past a somewhat thick clog.

"There," he said aloud, unaware of the shattered glass door and the talking lion creature. With his energy back, he broke his restraints as though they were a thin strips of wood, not knowing everyone had frozen in place when the burst of his energy was released, seconds after uttering that word, "Well, I guess this means my control is shot to hell."

His blue eyes shined with power as he felt his energy recede back to what he could consider a containable level. He noticed everyone's expression and their defensive stances as he stepped out of the containment chamber.

His actions came not a moment too soon either, because the containers' center floor panels opened to the side. _'That could have been ugly.'_ He frowned as he spoke to the group and the other blond next to him, "I apologize if I've frightened any of you in any shape or form-" He noticed Hojo's writhing form under the reddish orange creature, "-Almost any of you."

A quiet hum catches the attention of the blonds in the room, but only the stoic blond allowed it to show. The spiky headed blond allowed his eyes to drift over to the bottom of the containment unit with a quizzical stare.

The busty brunette turned her attention toward her friend, "Cloud…What's wrong?"

The stoic blond, Cloud, turned slightly to look at the woman, "…The elevator is moving."

"Heh," the balding, black haired, bi-spectacled man under the beast only gained a mad grin, "This is no ordinary specimen. This is a very _ferocious_ specimen!"

"He's rather strong. I'll help you all out," the flame tailed beast spoke in a young but dignified and strong voice as he turned around. It leaped away from Hojo but stood firm on the walkway.

The brunette was startled and was wide eyed as she nearly shouted, "It talked!?"

"I'll talk as much as you want later, Miss," the beast said as it took her reactions in stride. Naruto merely walked crossed his arms and waited for the creature to appear, all while beating down the impulse to jump in and get the first blow before it appeared completely.

"We'll take care of that monster. Tifa, Barret, I'm counting on you to take Aerith somewhere safe," Cloud said as he ran back to the group before turning to face to the four-legged specimen, "What's your name?"

"Hojo has named me, Red XIII," he closed his eyes momentarily before shaking his head. He reopened his eyes and looked at Cloud, "A name with no meaning whatsoever to me. Call me what you wish."

"Fine. And, you?" Cloud asked Naruto, but the mop haired blond just smirked slightly and brought his arms to his waist level. He had finally calmed that impulse of his.

"We can handle that after all is said and done," Naruto took several steps away from the container after making sure the young women were clear of what was sure to be a battle zone, "This is more important for now."

"Alright then," Cloud said as he faced the now fully elevated floor and removed his massive sword from his back. They watched as a massive blob of mixed parts emerged from the container.

It stood at least twice the height of an average human. The thing's head resembled a dark squid with an odd attachment on the top-left side that cover its left eye, leaving only the yellow left visible. On its left shoulder were spike-like protrusions on what seemed to be a bulging shoulder guard made of flesh while the right shoulder resembled a large, bestial mouth.

Its arms were proof of its mixed origins. Its left arm was a long, dark colored limb with a pincher, and the right was as long as the left but it had three insect leg-like fingers attached. It stood on two long as tall as a human on their own with separated hoof-like feet, but the discoloration present on the rest of the body was there as well with insect wings above them on its lower back.

"Come on!" Cloud shouted. While, he rushed forward as Red dashed pass him, Naruto only stood back for a moment to run through a list of his and Genesis's skills to find some that would be both useful and usable giving his out of practice form.

_'My physical strength is probably a little shift right now, and I don't have faith in using a **Rasengan** in this condition. I'll need to do some control exercises…and maybe some target practice if this doesn't work'_ he thought before thrusting his hand toward his target's torso, **"Fire!" **A relatively large fireball blasted forth from the palm of his hand, but it curved off course toward the creature's head and knocked the bio-chimera from its feet at the same moment Red XIII managed to claw it knees from behind.

_'Well…I'm still lucky at least, but I definitely need target practice…and I think I used a bit too much energy…'_ Naruto fell to one knee and panted slightly. Cloud saw this as he brought his blade down only to be blocked by the massive pincher. The spikier blond jumped back to get some space before asking, "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm just out of practice," Naruto said as stretches a bit and watched the creature stand as though nothing happened, "So, how _are_ we going to take out tall, dark, and ugly."

"Its name is Sample: H0512. It's immune to gravity based spells, absorbs poison, and halves electric damage," Red XIII said as he seemed to appear between them while using **sense** on the enemy.

"You know that much, huh? Friend of yours, I assume?" Naruto joked a bit before getting serious, "Anyway, I don't have a blade on me, so I can only blow to hell with fire spells. My on problem is my energy manipulation sucks, right now."

"I'll cover you then," Cloud said as he stepped forward brandishing his sword in a defensive position, "I'll send a few ice spells at it from the materia in my sword. I'll keep the heat off of you." Naruto chuckled at the perhaps intentional pun.

"I'll give it the run around," Red XIII said as the both dashed into battle. Red crouched under it **Keyclaw **attack before he pounced up and clawed at its eye. Pushing the advantage, Cloud jumped as high above the creature as he could before he came down with a massive slash.

**"Braver!"** Cloud cried out as his tore through the laboratory chimera. Then, the creature opened its previously unseen mouth to let out a roar of anguish-

**"Fira!"**

-only to have its upper body encase in a ground shaking explosion from the orange and black clad blond. However, before they could finish it, three yellow, beetle-like creatures rushed out of the creature's wound and leapt at them.

**"Blizzard!"** Cloud shouted as he swung his blade, producing several icicles as projectiles, but they only struck one of the beetles. The damage knocked it backwards but it didn't die. The harm caused to their sibling only aggravated the other two, if the **Blizzard** and **Fire** spells they were launching were anything to go by.

"Damn, this is getting us nowhere fast," Naruto said as they all began to dance around the blast. They were doing great. After all, they were only hit a few times.

"You don't need to tell me that," Cloud said before looking toward Red XIII, and seeing he was okay, they all dove behind the glass container. It was only a matter of moments before it would give in. The cracking sound wasn't a hint at all. Really, it wasn't. "Is there any info on them?"

"They're its OPTs. They are only strong against earth elements," Red said as he leaped into the air just a split second before one of the beetles rolled through the glass knocking both blonds to the ground.

"Argh…What we need is a distraction," Naruto growled as he forced himself to his feet. The beetles had him and Cloud surrounded and Red XIII was about to attack one before gunfire rang out and knocked two away from them, giving them a window of opportunity.

**"Fire!" **Naruto called out as he blasted the creature, or tried to. The blast collided with the ground before the beetle and knocked it over before Cloud chopped it in half, "I really need to work on my control."

"Leave those things to Barret. We'll kill the main body," Cloud said as he ran two the terrible smoothie of monsters with his blade held high. Naruto spared a glance at the man named Barret, only to see him surrounded. With a sigh, he fired a fireball that, luckily, knocked one of the beetles into the other just as Barret fired off a ball of energy.

"Now, one last attack before I run low on energy," Naruto said as he turned toward the duo that jumped just as Sample: H0512 exhaled a cloud of purple smog. That was it, "Spiky, get ready!"

Cloud scowled at the nickname before nodding. Naruto charge up most of his remaining energy and released an overpowered **Fira** blast that, while not nearly as powerful as **firaga**, managed to not only stun the monstrosity but also use the smog to fuel itself to grow stronger and left a crater in the front of its body. It growled, but couldn't do anything as a **Cross Slash** combo came to fast and sliced it into slabs of disgusting, inedible meat.

As they all began to relax the body dissolved, leaving a yellow materia where the creature's right eye once was. Naruto slowly went to the floor from exerting too much power as Cloud collected the materia. Even with his boosted reserves, it did not mean a thing if his attacks drained more than triple of what they should. _'I miss you so, **so** much right now, Kurama.'_

As he saw Aerith run over to them, Cloud spoke up, "Aerith, you all right?"

"She seems all right...in many ways," Tifa stated as she followed behind her. She was surprised the four-legged animal did not try to harm her.

Red XIII seemed to scoff, "I have a right to choose, too." Then, it turned to face Tifa, "I don't like two-legged things." Tifa seemed affronted for some reason.

"What are you?" Barret asked the question on all of their minds.

"An informed question," Red said, began to speak almost cryptically as he faced Barret, "But difficult to answer. I am what you see." He turned his head toward Cloud, "You must have many questions, but first, let's get out of here. I'll lead the way, if I must."

"Cloud…" Aerith smiled at him, "So, you did come for me." She stepped toward him before she paused for a minute to look toward Naruto, who was lying motionlessly on the floor. The only evidence of him being alive was the slight movement of his chest.

Red XIII hopped over near her, receiving a startle shout. "I apologize for what happened back there," he said, "I was merely acting to throw Hojo off guard."

_'I knew it.' _Naruto thought as he slowly stood up and checked himself over. Unknowingly, he had attracted the attention of the others around him.

"Now, who are you?" Cloud asked the only other blond in the room. His question had been brushed off earlier, but he refused to walk away without an answer this time.

"It's rude to ask for someone's name before introducing yourself. Or have the times changed so horribly while I've slept," he said with a hint of humor, smirking as he saw the guy named Cloud bristle slightly.

"Stop teasing them, Naruto," Aerith said in false chiding, if her grin meant anything, "That's Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart. I'm Afraid I don't know his name."

"Oh, I'm Barret Wallace," the man said. He sounded a little irritated. Maybe he should eat more fiber. Anyway, out of the corner of his eye, Naruto could see the expression of realization on Aerith's face. Interesting. He'd have to ask her about that.

"Fine," he laughed a bit, "As I told Aerith, I am Maelstrom Rhapsodos, but you can call me Naruto."

There were different reactions to his name. Barret seemed to take his name in thought but shrugged it off. Tifa merely smiled and nodded in greetings. Cloud froze for a moment.

"Genesis."

Naruto stared at Cloud with a bored expression, "I'm not him. However, he became a good friend and I took his last name to honor him for his regaining of his humanity. Our resemblance is merely circumstantial at best." It wasn't a lie. Circumstances changed his body a bit to adjust to Genesis's powers, memories, and a bit of his DNA. Now, he was effectively a close cousin, if not his half-brother.

He sighed. This was getting them nowhere, "Shouldn't we get out of here. I can assume with the rescue of Aerith, you guys have nothing else to do here, right?" At the nod, he turned and began to walk, "Well, roaming in a large group is rather dangerous. So, if you intend to divide yourselves into groups, I would suggest that you do so immediately. I'll be coming along since Shinra is harming something I cherish."

Cloud nodded at the slightly taller blond, "Barret and Red XIII will be with me as a distraction. Maelstrom, you and Tifa will get Aerith out of here. We'll follow a few minutes behind you." Cloud looked at Tifa and Aerith before he said, "Be careful." He wasn't sure about the new guy but he knew Tifa could handle herself, and the same went for Aerith.

"Then, we'll be going first," Tifa as she, Aerith, and Naruto ran toward the lift, "Meet at the 66th floor elevator."

"I'll see you later!" Aerith waved while running, "We'll be waiting!" Then, she sped up a bit to keep up with the other two members of her group.

As soon as they stepped onto the elevator, they all took a deep breath to relax. He decided to pull an example from his old sensei and brought out an orange book to read, despite not having anywhere to have kept it to retrieve so quickly. The girls could only stare, confused at his actions but shook it off. It was quiet and it would only take a minute or two to reach the bottom, "So, Naruto, tell me about yourself." Naruto lifted an eyebrow. They couldn't see his face well since the book covered the lower half of his face, so Tifa settled for that as her answer, "You know, just the basics."

Naruto nearly smirked at her behind his book when he thought back to his time as a genin but he kept his cool and answered with a smile, "My name is Naruto, or rather Maelstrom Rhapsodos. I have things that I like. I dislike things. And my hobbies? I have lots hobbies. I would tell you my dreams, but I haven't really thought about it."

_'All we really learned was his name!'_ were the thoughts of the two women before him, irritation and disbelief evident on their faces. Naruto, however, casually walked out as the lift door opened. Once, he made it a safe distance ahead of them he allowed himself a mischievous grin. _'Kakashi-sensei strikes again.'_

The girls followed behind him irritably while they all kept an eye on their surroundings. Once made it to a metal container, Naruto felt a familiar foul presence. It was the one he felt as he slept as well as one Genesis had sensed from Sephiroth. Slowly, he walked over to the viewing glass and peered inside, oblivious to Tifa warning him no to look.

_'Where the hell is its head'_ He thought as he dismissed his book by sliding it into his inner coat. He wasn't so much shocked as he was momentarily stunned. It was the same presence he knew of but it felt weaker. Even headless, it was alive and as though it was linked to something. Now that he thought of it, he felt a much weaker version of it when Cloud was near him. Also, Cloud was wearing SOLDIER attire but Genesis did not know him. Naruto could only assume that he joined up after Genesis defected, but that doesn't explain the Buster Sword.

Why did he have it? That sword belonged to Genesis's best friend Angeal. What could have happened after Genesis was separated from his body at that time. Could it have been the puppy? Did Angeal really give it to him?

_'No' _Naruto shook his head. He was getting off task. Genesis's memories were his sign post, nothing more. Whatever, happened, he would try to find out but he would not engage in issues of his friend's past. However, that did bring up an interesting topic to think about. Why were the emotions so strong? Did have anything to do with his being near this…this thing? "Jenova?"

Yes, that's what it was called. He could recall the reports he had read from the old doctor. _'I can only imagine what might have happened when Sephiroth found the original document. From Genesis's memories, Sephiroth is not one to be idly trifled with, and I doubt they could keep such delicate information a secret from him for too long. I can sympathize to a certain extent but at least my birth wasn't an experiment for the clinically insane.'_

_'There's also that moment when I felt him enter the lifestream. I wondered what happened, because he vanished not long after…'_ he thought as he shook his head and sighed.

"Let's keep moving," Naruto said as he stepped away from the viewing glass and walked toward the hall, "Don't look, Aerith."

"Eep!" Said girl jumped in surprise at being caught. He wasn't looking at her. So, how did he know?

"Trust me, you wouldn't want to see that," Tifa said but her eyes were on Naruto's back as they followed him. _'He didn't really react to that thing like we did. He did the same thing as Cloud. They were surprise by something about that thing but they weren't surprised by what it was. They both even said its name.' _Tifa narrowed her eyes when Naruto pressed his back against the wall and peered around a corner. Then, something clicked in her mind as she noticed his clothing. _'If the coat where gone, he would be dressed like Cloud, only in black. SOLDIER?'_

She shook her head. There was no point in wondering about it. He made it quite obvious he would not talk about himself, if that poor excuse of an introduction were any sign. It only annoyed her more when he pulled that book out again. (A silver haired man sneezed in the afterlife.) So, only time could tell if he was truly an ally or enemy, "There's the staircase to the 66th floor, let's go."

As they ran to the staircase, Naruto looked around them again and frowned. There was something seriously wrong with this picture. He just couldn't put his finger on it. So, he continued down the stairs and after the exited the stairway for floor 66, something finally caught his attention, or rather something _didn't_. It was too quiet. Surely, a place like had many employees. Genesis had never been here in person long enough to know and it had been awhile since he had been here, so he wouldn't know either. He needed to know, so he sped up his pace to walk next to Tifa while his book disappeared again. "Tell me something, Tifa," the brunette looked at him, "Was it this empty was you guys came here?"

Tifa stopped and thought about after looking around. It _was_ too quiet. She was surprised that she hadn't noticed sooner, "Come on, we need to hurry!" She reached back and grabbed Aerith's hand and the three of them ran. They ran as fast as Aerith could possibly take, but they made it! Tifa pressed the buttons for both elevators and, at Naruto's question look, she said, "We'll have the elevators ready before they come here. Then, we can leave as soon as possible."

He merely nodded, but something was setting his nerves on edge. Then, with the ping of the elevators' arrival, he found out what it was. On both elevators were armed members of the Turks and in the corners of the hall were guards with their guns trained on them. He sighed, even in his currently condition he could escape with hardly a scratch but the girls wouldn't. He did the only thing he could. He surrendered. With both hand raised, he looked at the girls and shook his head in the negative, "It was the lab. There were too many people there, Hojo got away, and the mutant probably set off an alarm as well. No mention cameras. It seems that Tseng has beaten us."

The man named Tseng seemed surprised to hear his name mention not to mention the explanation from the tall blond since he correct in a sense, but something else shocked him more. The man before him was familiar. There were a few differences but he couldn't deny the similarities. "Genesis?"

"Sorry, but you have the wrong person," Naruto said in an even tone, inwardly he was smiling at the state of shock. Oh, he was going to have some fun if people kept confusing the two of them.

Tseng shook himself from his thoughts of the man before him, "If you two will step in here with us, we will begin to lead you the holding cells." As he spoke, he directed a looked to Naruto and Aerith.

"Two?" Tifa questioned as Rude and Reno led her to a separate elevator. Their job was simple, lead her to the top floor where the armed guards were waiting and she would be led to the President's office. Then, they would return to the elevator. They even had it set up to only work for that elevator once Tseng's closed.

"Yes," Tseng replied as he continued to look at his targets, "the two Cetra."

Tifa fell into shock for but a moment, but it was long enough for them to get her into an elevator.

_'Everything's been shot to hell…'_ Naruto thought grimly. He wordlessly followed Tseng's orders and followed Aerith into the confined space with Tseng and a guard holding their guns on Aerith to prevent him from making a move. '_We'll figure out some way to escape. Something tells me these guys are going to be a ton of oddness and fun. '_

* * *

**AN: There you have the second chapter. If it wasn't obvious in the first chapter, Naruto does not have Kurama or any of the tailed beasts. His healing now is based on the Uzumaki family vitality and another factor. No, it's not the lifestream. Also, his abilities will be somewhat explained in the next chapter. **

**I'm using the "fire, fira, firaga"-type formula instead of the "Fire1, Fire2, Fire3"-type formula. It's easier to relate to these days. There may be a few errors if I misread something but no more than a few if any.**

**P.S. I'm going to be busy for the next few days with several assignments, but I'll start working on chapter 3 this weekend. So, according to the chapter length it could be posted any day from next Tuesday to Thursday next week. – Originally Posted 11-15-2012**

**- Updated 2-15-2013: Yeah, I'll be able to post the next chapter after I get my jump drive back in about a week. I've also began to write a Evangelion/Blazblue crossover.**


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